Crowdsourced Geolocation Using Mobile Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional geolocation systems, such as GPS, are ineffective in indoor environments due to signal blocking by physical barriers, and existing methods require hardware installation and known layouts to function accurately.
Innovation Solution
A mobile-based crowdsourcing platform that uses remote mobile devices to communicate with a cloud-based service, collecting and analyzing user data from sensors like GPS, IMU, and RF signals to determine location and movement within environments, including indoor spaces, and prompts users for verification to improve positioning accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS signals are used for geolocation, then outdoor location accuracy is improved, but indoor location determination fails due to signal blocking by physical barriers
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the geolocation problem into outdoor and indoor components, using GPS for outdoor locations and switching to alternative methods (WiFi positioning, cellular tower triangulation, inertial sensors) for indoor locations. This segmentation allows each method to be optimized for its appropriate environment without the limitations of a single approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary systems such as WiFi access points, cellular towers, and inertial measurement units that act as mediators to determine indoor location when GPS signals are blocked. These intermediaries provide alternative signal paths and reference points that work within indoor environments where direct satellite signals cannot penetrate.
2Measurement precision
If hardware devices are installed in indoor environments to determine location, then indoor geolocation accuracy is improved, but device complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses universal mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) that users already possess and that can perform multiple functions including GPS reception, WiFi scanning, cellular communication, and inertial sensing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated indoor positioning hardware while maintaining location determination capabilities across both indoor and outdoor environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent leverages infrastructure that already exists and serves other purposes - WiFi access points installed for network connectivity, cellular towers for telecommunication, and mobile devices for general computing - and repurposes these self-servicing systems for location determination without requiring additional dedicated hardware installation.
3Measurement precision
If known layout or floor plan is required for indoor geolocation, then positioning accuracy is improved, but system adaptability to new environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts its positioning methods based on the environment. When entering a new indoor space, it initially uses methods that do not require pre-existing layout data (WiFi scanning, cellular triangulation, inertial navigation), then progressively builds and refines environmental models as more data is collected, allowing the system to become increasingly accurate in that specific environment over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by collecting and storing environmental data (WiFi access point locations, cellular tower positions, building layouts) in advance when available, creating a database that can be quickly referenced for rapid positioning. This preliminary data collection enables faster and more accurate positioning once the environmental model is established.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate geolocation and tracking of users within indoor environments, such as parking lots and airports, reducing the need for hardware installation and known layouts, and provides guidance and alert services to users, enhancing navigation and reducing delays.
Implementation Method 1
user data as captured by one or more sensors on the mobile device, wherein such data includes, but is not limited to, user movement (e.g., GPS measurements, IMU measurements, etc.) as well as signals from the mobile device (e.g., received signal strength (RSS) measurements, RF measurements, etc.)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a system for providing geolocation services in a mobile-based crowdsourcing platform. The system includes a plurality of remote mobile devices configured to communicate and exchange data with a geolocation service based on the crowdsourcing, or polling, of users of such mobile devices to determine location and movement of the users within a specific environment. For example, in an outdoor environment such as a parking lot, the system can track the location of a user's vehicle within the lot and provide the user with an exact position of their vehicle upon the user returning to the parking lot. In the instance of an indoor environment, such as an airport, the system provides a messaging/location alert service for persons within the airport, where any given person's location within the airport can be determined and correlated with an impending departure of a flight for which they are associated.